2D Simulation of a Discharge-Pumping KrF Laser

Results of 2D simulation of a KrF laser are presented. In the model, inhomogeneities of distributions of the electric field and plasma particle concentration are considered. It is demonstrated that starting from electron concentration of ~10¹⁴ cm^–3, the rate of electron production depends on the electron concentration n_e. This changes the distribution of the concentration n_e over the discharge width. If we estimate the discharge width from the electron concentration at half maximum, than depending on the pumping mode, the discharge width decreases by an order of magnitude by the end of the lasing pulse. In addition, it is demonstrated that the laser beam width is larger than the width of the electron concentration profile at half maximum.